Man&#39;s valet



Feb. 11, 1M7. M, o, LAPE'YRE ET AL 2,415,642

MANS VALET Filed March 26, 1945 v 3 m e8 (/[rM Q-Zwpeyre Patented Feb.11,1947

MANS VALET ration of Louisiana Application March 26, 1945, Serial No.584,766

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in mans valet, and has foran object to provide an improved device for the hanging of trousers,coats, vests, shirts, underwear, neckties and all other articles of amans clothing in a complete and efficient manner and in such relativearrangement that all the articles of clothing are exposed freely of oneanother for selection and removal from the improved costumer withoutinterfering with one another.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mans valet orcostumer constructed and arranged to receive and support a plurality ofgarments, in which the construction of the device is compact and simpleand arranged for economical manufacture.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an improved mansvalet in which the device is constructed for alternative use upon a wallor support or upon a rack bar in a closet and wherein the articles aresupported seriatim in successive vertical rows which are offset from oneanother to render the garments individually selectively accessiblewithout reference to other supported garments.

W th the f re oing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved mans valet constructedaccording to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical central section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-6 of Figure 1, and

Figure l is a perspective view of the pallet, its supporting bar and thecoupling means in separated condition.

Referring more particularly tothe drawing, is designates a base orbackstop which, like the other parts of the device, may be made of wood,metal, cardboard or other appropriate material. Near its upper centralportion the backstop It hole ii substantially horizontally therethroughto receive a bolt l2. by which the backstop be aflixed to a wall orsupport, or which bolt i 2, aifixed to the backstop by the nut 13,- mayswingingly engage the hook l ladapted to hook over a bar in a closet oranother hook or the like, by which the entire device is supported in ahanging position.

The backstop iii, which may be produced in any ornamental or plain form,carries at the sides thereof a pair of side frames, each of whichcomprises substantially vertical standards 05 and it spaced apart andsubstantially parallel, which standards are open at their lower portionsand connected only at their upper or top portions by a substantiallyhorizontal cross bars i'i.

Screws or other fastenings i8 pass through appropriate openings in theinner standards 15 by which the side frames are affixed to the sideedges of the backstop it in positions where the outer standards itoutstand from the front face of the backstop iii. In other words the twoside frames are substantially parallel and spaced apart by the width ofthe backstop it. Upstanding pegs or horns is form upward pro- ,iectionsof the outer standards it above the horizontal. cross bars l! and formwith the crossbars and with the outer standards it? angle ironconstructions both above and below the cross bars for the reinforcementsof the two side frame constructions. This reinforcement is particularlydesirable at the outer portions of the side frames because the sideframes are open from the cross bars ll all the way down and there is noconnection between the lower ends thereof. The inner vertical standardsit receive support from the fastenings l8 and from engagement with theside edges of the back stop it but reinforcement of the outer verticalstandards it of more importance.

The lower end portions. of both vertical standards are provided withbearing openings 2E3 and 2!, which, in the case of cardboard, may bereinforced (as shown by metal eyelets). A coat and vest hanger 22 hastrunnions 2t swingingly mounted in the bearing openings 26 of the twoside frames.

A jamming or binding member 24 is pivotally carried by a bar 25 havingtrunnions 2t and lugs 2? turned angularly with respect to the trunnions26. As shown more particularly in Figure 4, the bar 25 has rounded edges28 and the jamming member and bar have registering perforations 29 and3D to receive the pivot bolt 35 which is affixed in place by a nut 32 insuch wise as to permit the jamming member 2A to rotate freely about theaxis of the bolt 3|, which axis is in the direction at right angles tothe direction of the swinging axis of the trunnions 25.

The jamming member 24 preferably has its outer corner portions rounded,asindicated at 33, in order to escape interference with the adjacentportions of the outer vertical standards H5 in the pivoting action ofthe jamming member 24 on the bolt 3|.

Extension thumb pieces 34 project laterally from the jamming member 24and its inner edge portions. Such thumb pieces 34 cooperate withsubstantially horizontal shoulders 35 on the inner vertical standardslb. The parts 34. and 35 cooperate in two aspects:

One, to form stops for limiting the downward swinging movement of thejamming member 24; and two, to form two-point support for the trousersor other garment.

In the use of the device, trousers are received in the open portions ofthe side frames between the vertical standards It and i5 and in front ofthe panel H3, such trousers being introduced upwardly in a motion whichwill automatically lift the jamming member E l about its trunnions 25 ina manner generally indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. Thus theintroduction of the trousers 1120 the device is in such direction as toautomatically open the jamming member 24. However, as soon as thegarment is released to the action of gravity it will tend to draw thejamming member it down into a jamming position both with the back stopin and with the shoulders 35. Thus the trousers will be held in placeautomatically by the weight thereof.

A coat and vest may be independently placed on the hanger 22. Shirts andunderwear may be hung over the horns or pegs i9 and neckties may bedraped about the horizontal cross bars 5?.

The device constitutes a clothes hanger that accomodates all thegarments Worn by a man. The pants hanger is so constructed and arrangedas to support the trousers from the upper portion around the waist lineinstead of from the cuffs in the usual inverted manner. The uprightsupport of the trousers excludes the possibility of dropping thecontents from the pockets. This feature also affords an easy and quickway of hanging pants. The hooks or horns 99 for hanging shirts alsosupport the same in an upright position and exclude the possibility ofdropping the contents from the shirt pockets.

' The improved device is flexible as to its type. It can be used as aconvenient hook hanger, valet or stand type, or even a fixture type forwalls, closets, furniture, etc.

The jamming member is lifted from its horizontal position by the pantsthemselves as they are raised into place and can be pushed down againstthe pants with the thumbs pushing upon the lateral extension pieces 3%.In this way the jamming member is jammed against the pants effectivelyholding them in place between the backstop of the frame and the jammingmember. By merely lifting the jamming member with the thumbs engagingthe extension pieces 34, the pants are free to remove from the hanger.

It will be noted that the pivoting action of the jamming member 24 aboutthe vertical axis 3: achieves a self-adjustment feature, accommodatingdifferent thicknesses of cloth in each end of the jamming member,particularly when pants are hung from the waist instead of from thecuffs or the knees.

It is also to be noted that the improved device involves a swingingfeature of the coat hanger'22 which facilitates the hanging and removingof a coat and vest. V

The relative location and arrangement of the coat .from the pantshangers, support and carry the coat behind the pants and in a differentvertical plane and this construction eliminates hanging of the pantswithin the coat. The result is independent accessibility to both coatand pants. The swinging coat hanger 22 greatly facilitates the hangingand removal of the coat.

The jamming member allows of the hanging of the pants from the waist,cuffs or folded knees and is simply constructed and operated and isefi'icient in operation.

The self-adjusting feature of the jamming member allows for thedifference in the thickness in the four folds of the pants in the frontas compared to the two folds in the back when the pants are hung fromthe waist.

If desired the coat hanger 22 may be eliminated as a permanent part ofthe device and an eye substituted at the bottom of the backstop l 0 forattachment to an ordinary wire coat hanger.

A prime feature of the device is the two-point contact achieved in thepants holding jamming member B l. This feature results from theshoulders 35 which project forwardly from the side frames i5 position toreact with the lateral thumb pieces 34. A similar two-point contactcould achieved a. concave design on the engaging edge of the jammingmember or by projections at both ends of the engaging edge of thejamming member.

In addition to the two point contact feature or independently thereof,the inner edge of the jamming member 24 may form continuous contact withthe garment all along this line. The jamming member might be substitutedby two or more trigger fingers or spring fingers or other devices.

The disposition of the lugs 2i prevent the bar 25 rom being disengagedwith the bearing eyelets 25 the assembled position of the side framesupon the backstop l5. Before these side frames are put in position thesame are adjusted with the axis of the eyelet 2E disposed to receive thelug 2'1 and the frame is thereupon rotated so that the eyelet moves overthe lug 2'5 andthen turns and moves over the trunnion 25, In thisposition :le vertical bar i5 can be aligned with the side edge of thebackstop iii in position to be aifixed by the fastenings ill. Thefastenings Hi therefore perform the double function of securing the sideframes in position upon the backstop i 9 and of holding these sideframes relatively to the lugs as to prevent the trunnions 25 fromescaping axially from the bearing openings 2i.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A mans valet comprising a stationary backstop having means to supportthe same, stationary side frames carried by and extending outwardly fromsaid backstop, a carrier member swlngingly mounted in outer parts of thestationary side frames, and clothes-jamming means pivoted on the carriermember to turn freely about an axis substantially normal to thedirection of the swinging axis o. the carrier member.

2. A mans valet as claimed in claim 1 further comprising shoulders onthe stationary side frames, and extension pieces on the clothes-jammin'gmeans adapted to engage said shoulders.

3. A mans valet comprising a stationary backstop, stationary side framessupported by the backstop having substantially upright spaced membersconnected at their upper portions and open at their lower portions toreceive garments therein, and means movably supported by the outer ofthe spaced members for cooperating with said backstop to bind thegarments in supported position.

4. A mans valet comprising a stationary backstop, stationary side framescarried by said backstop and each comprising spaced inner and outerstandards and a cross bar connecting the upper portions thereof, thelower portions of said standards being left open to receive garments,the inner standards afiixed to the sides of the stationary backstop, anda jamming member swingingly carried by the lower portions of the outerstandards.

5. A mans valet comprising a stationary backstop, stationary side framescarried fixedly by said backstop and each comprising spaced inner andouter standards and a cross bar connecting the upper portions of saidstandards, the lower portions of said standards being freely open toreceive garments upwardly between the same and between said stationaryside frames, said inner standards being affixed to the sides of saidstationary backstop, the lower portions of the outer standards havingbearing openings, a jamming member having outturned trunnions engagingsaid bearing openings to swingingly support the jamming member with itsfree edge adapted to jam garments against said backstop, said trunnionshaving angularly turned lugs normally extending on the outside faces ofsaid side frames whereby the side frames must be detached from thebackstop and rotated relatively to the trunnions to clear the lugs.

6. A mans valet comprising a stationary backstop, stationary side framescarried by said backstop and each comprising spaced inner and outerstandards and a cross bar connecting the upper portions of saidstandards, the lower portions of said standards being left open toreceive garments, the inner standards affixed to the sides of thestationary backstop, the inner standards having bearing openings attheir lower portions, a coat hanger having trunnions swingingly receivedin said bearings, and a jamming member swingingly carried by the lowerportions of the outer standards and having a free edge portion adaptedto jam garments against said backstop.

7. A mans valet comprising a stationary backstop, stationary side framescarried by said backstop and each comprising spaced inner and outerstandards and a cross bar connecting the upper portions of saidstandards, horns upstanding from the outer standards above the crossbars to form angle reinforcements both above and below said cross bars,the lower portions of said standards being left open to receivegarments, the inner standards affixed to the side portions of saidstationary backstop and a jamming member swingingly carried by the lowerportions of the outer standards.

8. A mans valet comprising a backstop, means to carry said backstopimmovably from a support, immovable side frames directly affixed to saidbackstop at opposite side portions thereof, said side frames comprisinginner and outer substantially vertical standards unconnected at theirlower ends, and cross bars connecting the upper portions of saidstandards, the lower ends of both inner and outer standards of said sideframes having bearing openings therein, a jamming member havingtrunnions fitted in the bearing openings of the outer standards andhaving a free edge adapted to bind trousers against the stationarybackstop, and a hanger for a vest and coat having outturned trunnionssupported in the bearing openings of theinner standards whereby tosupport the coat and vest independently of the trousers and along sidethe same.

9. A mans valet comprising a fixed backstop, side frames secured theretocomprising inner and outer spaced standards open at their lowerportions, and cross bars connecting said standards at their upperportions, the inner standards having shoulders adjacent their lowerportions, the outer standards having bearing openings in their lowerportions, said side frames being stationarily aiiixed to said fixedbackstop, and a jamming device having trunnions fitted to rotate in thebearing openings of the outer standards and having lateral projectionson the free edge portion thereof adapted to seat upon the shoulders ofthe inner standards.

10. A mans valet as claimed in claim 9 in which said jamming membercomprises a bar directly carrying said trunnions and having free roundedcorner portions, and a plate which carries at its free edge saidextension pieces, said plate adapted to be overlapped with said bar andpivoted thereto on an axis substantially at right angles to the pivotaxis of said trunnions, the corner portions at the edge of the plateopposite said extensions being rounded.

MARTIAL O. LAPEYRE. FERNAND S. LAPEYRE.

REFERENSES CELEB The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,220,991 Bye Nov. 12, 1940498,054 Harper May 23, 1893

